


The United Forts of Pillowtown

by emmerrr



Series: Only Fools Rush In [9]
Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Pillow & Blanket Forts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-27
Updated: 2018-03-27
Packaged: 2019-04-13 17:46:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14117616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emmerrr/pseuds/emmerrr
Summary: “Hey, stranger,” Adam says, tiredness putting his accent on full-display. “Fancy seeing you around here.”“Hilarious,” Ronan replies, fond, and he takes Adam’s hand because it’s the most natural impulse in the world.





	The United Forts of Pillowtown

**Author's Note:**

> title is a Community reference :)

Adam is late.

Later than he should be, anyway, as when Ronan pulls in to the St. Agnes carpark, the tri-coloured Hondayota is nowhere to be seen.

Ronan flicks his gaze to the clock on his dashboard and it reads 22:37. Adam should be back from work by now. It’s a school night, after all.

Resolving to give Adam another five minutes to return before driving round to Boyd’s to see what the hold-up is, Ronan cranks the volume up on his radio and leans back in his seat. The heat’s already as high as it will go, and it’s needed tonight. It’s early February, and it’s  _freezing_.

During the fourth minute of Ronan’s self-appointed waiting period, headlights in his rearview mirror make him sit up and take notice, and then Adam parks neatly in the space next to the BMW. He smiles cheerily at Ronan through the window and then gets out of the car. Ronan grabs his rucksack from the passenger seat and follows suit.

“Hey, stranger,” Adam says, tiredness putting his accent on full-display. “Fancy seeing you around here.”

“Hilarious,” Ronan replies, fond, and he takes Adam’s hand because it’s the most natural impulse in the world.

Adam lets out a little laugh and then they walk up the stairs to his apartment in comfortable silence; there is plenty of time to talk–or not talk–when they get inside.

Once they’re in, however, there is an immediate problem.

“Parrish,” Ronan says. “It’s cold as balls in here.”

“It’s not that bad.” Adam drops Ronan’s hand and flips on the light-switch, then heads to the thermostat and fiddles with it, frowning as he does so.

“No, but seriously, Adam,” Ronan reiterates. “It’s cold as  _balls_. Is your heating even fucking working?”

“It’s working. Sort of. Give it half an hour or so, it’s just old is all.”

“Cold as–”

“As balls, Ronan, I heard you the first time.”

Ronan debates insisting they drive out to the Barns instead, but he takes one look at the dark shadows under Adam’s eyes and thinks the better of it; he’s clearly much too tired to want to head back out again, and just suggesting it has the potential to start an argument. Adam doesn’t usually take kindly to any perceived slights against his little apartment, unless he’s the one making them. Which is fair enough, really.

“Go and shower, Parrish. Warm yourself up,” Ronan says. “I’ll make you a hot chocolate for when you’re out.”

Adam cocks his head to the side and smiles; Ronan’s stomach does a flip. “Are you taking care of me?” he asks.

“Yes,” Ronan says solemnly. “Now fuck off, Parrish.”

Adam grabs his towel and his PJs and disappears into the bathroom, but instead of going for the kettle, Ronan turns his attention to Adam’s mattress-bed on the floor.

Ronan pulls it out a little further away from the wall so it’s closer to Adam’s desk, then lifts the desk chair over to the space he has created. Adam already has more blankets than he used to, thanks to Ronan bringing a few extras around from the Barns, as well as a couple more cushions. (When Adam had raised his eyebrows at these apparent gifts, Ronan had cut off any complaints with, “This is for my comfort, Parrish, not yours,” and that had been that.)

Rolled up and tucked away in the corner of the room is the sleeping bag that Ronan used to leave here for his impromptu sleepovers after Adam had first moved in, well before he and Adam had gotten together. It hasn’t been used for a while due to the fact that Ronan now shares with Adam instead of sleeping on the floor, but it will do nicely for Ronan’s purposes tonight.

He unrolls it and unzips it the whole way to give it more surface-area, then he drapes one end over the chair and uses the desk lamp to prop up the other side of it. Adam doesn’t have enough furniture for Ronan to make a proper blanket fort like he wants to, but it’ll do in a pinch.

The top half of Adam’s mattress is now haphazardly hooded over by the sleeping bag, and Ronan hurriedly arranges all the blankets and cushions he has at his disposal underneath. Adam’s duvet is already laid out on the mattress anyway, ready for them to slip under whenever they want to, but they might not need to; it might be cosy enough.

As a finishing touch, Ronan grabs a handful of his floating dream lights from his rucksack and releases them under the sleeping-bag. They hang there like little fireflies and Ronan sits back on his knees, satisfied with what he’s created. It’s quite the cosy little hidey-hole.

The shower cuts off in the bathroom and Ronan remembers he said he’d make a hot chocolate, so he gets to his feet and puts the kettle on, scrounging out two mugs and scooping generous amounts of hot chocolate powder into each.

While the kettle is boiling he quickly changes into the fluffy pyjama bottoms that Matthew got him for Christmas then shrugs into Adam’s Coca-Cola t-shirt; one of Ronan’s personal favourites.

Adam steps out of the bathroom just as Ronan’s topping up the hot chocolates with a little bit of milk, and he pauses as he takes in the blanket fort. He stares for a moment, then he looks at Ronan and stares for an even longer moment.

“When did you get so ridiculously adorable?” he asks.

“Excuse you, Parrish,” Ronan says, handing Adam a mug. “I’ve  _always_ been adorable.”

Adam hums thoughtfully, takes a sip, then smiles softly. “You  _have_ actually, haven’t you?”

“Obviously, Adam. I made a fuckin’  _blanket_ fort. That’s next level adorable.”

Adam leans forward and kisses Ronan’s jaw. “Fair enough, Lynch. You win this round.”

Ronan mutters something about winning  _every_ round, thank you very much, but Adam’s clearly not really listening as instead he crawls into the blanket fort, careful not to spill any of his drink.

Ronan turns out the main light and then joins him. They huddle close together as they finish their hot chocolates, and Ronan reaches up to leave the mugs on the desk afterwards to deal with in the morning; he’s not moving out of this fort for anything until he absolutely has to.

With the drinks gone they’re free to make themselves comfortable, and Adam forgoes actually using any of the cushions Ronan so thoughtfully scattered around in lieu of tucking himself under Ronan’s arm instead.

Ronan gently manoeuvres them so that they’re lying down, and with the arm that’s not wrapped around Adam he carefully arranges the spare blankets over them so they’re both covered. Everywhere is soft; everything is warm, and when Ronan finally stills, Adam lets out a contented sigh.

One of his hands is bunched loosely in Ronan’s (well, Adam’s) t-shirt, and his hair is tickling Ronan’s chin from where his head’s resting high on Ronan’s chest. Ronan thinks he might be asleep, or almost there, but when he lowers his eyes to see, Adam’s watching the dream lights–albeit through very heavy eyes.

“Go to sleep, Adam,” Ronan whispers, and kisses him on the head.

“Mmm,” Adam agrees. “It’s just… this is all very romantic, Ronan. It’s the most romantic thing anyone’s ever done for me.” His voice is thick with impending sleep.

“I should fuckin’ hope so,” Ronan grumbles, but with affection.

Adam grins sleepily, then finally– _finally_ – closes his eyes. But he’s not quite finished yet. “Love you,” he murmurs.

It’s not the first time he’s said it, but it  _is_ the first time it’s been said quite so casually. Like it’s something they’ve been saying forever, and they’ll continue to say forever. Ronan doesn’t want to get ahead of himself, but that’s how he feels.

“I love you, too, Parrish,” he says back, gruffly earnest; the only way he knows how to be. “So fucking much.”

Adam hums again. “Good,” he says without opening his eyes.

Ronan waits, but nothing else is forthcoming and after a few minutes Adam’s breathing levels out and at last, he sleeps.

Ronan watches the lights flicker in the darkness, and safe with the weight of his love in his arms, he makes a wish.


End file.
